We were sitting around tonight talking with a group of hunters about turkeys. One young hunter asked us a question, and it brought up a very interesting conversation. I thought it would make a good question to ask on the site here, and hear what some of you guys would do? Her question was...

If your set up and you have a hen decoy set out and your calling, and soon you have three longbeards coming in, a strutter, a big bird that's half struting and another big bird that's just following the other two. Which bird would you shoot, and why??

I usually allways shoot the most vocal and strittin' tom I'm a spur type guy Cause that's why I'm there, and have a decoy set out, and callin' em' in!! Don't care if he's the biggest, but most generally will be(not allways), & should be, the dominate bird!! Another bigger bird, may be just bigger & younger, and not the dominate tom

I'm not an experience hunter, but the strutter would be a first priority. I would tale a little time to look at all three birds. If one had a significantly longer beard, I would try to take that bird. If they all looked good and it appeared that they were going to get out of range, I would take the least risky shot. I hope I have a situation like this.

I'm all about taking the dominant bird out. Lots of times the dominant bird will have the other gobblers in the area intimidated enough to where they won't gobble much. With the big boss gone, it usually only takes a few days for the rest to start getting more vocal and a new pecking order working.

We had a boss gobbler on the lease for a time who had a raspy gobble that was unmistakable. Other gobblers would start gobbling at first light, but as soon as the boss got fired up, the rest got quiet & stayed that way. I managed to tag the boss, and a few days later, the rest of the gang was much more vocal than before.

First one that presents a clean high-percentage shot without endangering the other two gets the dirt nap. The only thing that would change that is if one of the other two has something really unique like 5 beards or 5 inch spurs or two heads. Chances are high, that the strutter is going to get to the hen first, so that is probably the one that gets it, but take any of them.

KY only allows one bird a day, so a double-header is out of the question.

Whichever presents the best shot. Most of the time a group like this are equal in size, spur and beard length. (there are exceptions)Like Shaman if one was special: multi beard, unusually long spurs or different coloration etc. Mostly I'm into having fun and killing turkeys leaving the definition of "trophy" wide open.Normally given a choice, for perceived biological reasons, I shoot subordinate game. In the fall I shoot a poult rather than the brood hen; she is the proven breeder. Same in the spring the dominate gobbler is the proven survivor and breeder. This is just my personal preference. However, in the spring, if 3 are coming in, 2 jakes and gobbler, it's the gobbler every time. So much for the "perceived biological" reason. Must be the vanity of wanting a gobbler over my shoulder just in case I meet another hunter on the way out. Now I got all these random turkey thoughts ricocheting around in my head. Man I need turkey season and spring bad...

That young lady asked a good question. Thanks for sharing it.

later, charlie If you agree with me call it fact; if you disagree - call it my opinion. After all - we are talking turkey.

charlie elk wrote:Whichever presents the best shot... Most of the time a group like this are equal in size, spur and beard length.

And we have a winner. It's been my experience that the majority of the time, gobblers in a group are all the same age and all subordinates. Having said that, the strutter is usually the dominate bird. My advice to a young hunter would be to shoot the first one that presented a clear shot.

Almost without exception, all the 3-4 year old hooked spurred boss gobblers I have tagged were traveling alone or with hens and it was very late in the season.

"The joy of living is his, who has the heart to demand it." Teddy Roosevelt

I did have the exception happen to me about 13-14 years ago. I was hunting beside an opening on the bench of a ridge where gobblers liked to strut. It had very thick cover all around it and turkeys would be right on top of you almost instantly. I had a 3 year old gobbler come in strutting to my calls and just as I dropped the hammer on him, another equal size and age longbeard ran up behind him from out of nowhere. I killed two in one shot by accident. I gave the other bird to the guy hunting with me and he tagged the second bird so we would be legal. Both gobblers were over 22 pounds and had 1+ inch spurs and 10+ inch beards. I didn't even know the second bird was around until I saw both of them flopping. The cover at that spot was so close that it wasn't unusual to have turkeys pass within 35 yards and not be able to get a shot because they were obscured by brush & limbs. I never shot at anything over 27 yards there because I couldn't see much farther than that.

More times than not, if I see two gobblers, it is where a second, unseen gobbler comes in to jump on the one I've just shot. From time to time I've seen pairs running together, but the vast majority of the time I'm hunting it is single birds traveling alone. The only time I've had 3 gobblers come in together, they were all jakes. A guy can dream though.

charlie elk wrote:Whichever presents the best shot. Most of the time a group like this are equal in size, spur and beard length. (there are exceptions)Like Shaman if one was special: multi beard, unusually long spurs or different coloration etc. Mostly I'm into having fun and killing turkeys leaving the definition of "trophy" wide open.

I would agree with Shaman and Charlie. I had this happen to me in the spring of 2010 with three gobblers at 15 yards and they were so close to each other that I could have shot all three with one shot. I had to wait until two of them cleared the one then he took a dirt nap.

Good question.

Dewey

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." --Mahatma Gandhi

"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."--F. Scott Fitzgerald, American writer